We love the point in our consultations when we hear "What I REALLY want to do..." For Bouchra, her passion is peace education and we were thrilled to find a service opportunity that fits her interest. Through her volunteer work with the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County (CRC-MC), Bouchra has learned and implemented mediation skills.

How has your volunteering helped you reach your personal and/or professional goals? Volunteering at CRCMC has taught me how conflict can be managed to re-establish peace and reach positive outcomes. This has helped me in my relationships at work and with my family members at home.

What skills have you been able to use and which have you learned? Through outreach volunteering, I developed my communication skills and learned how to better connect with people. Through mediation training and volunteering, I learned how to be a better listener and and how to facilitate dialogue between parties in conflict.

There are three things Dr. Lauren Rubin's patients at Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care immediately notice; her bright smile, contagious laugh, and her LOVE of optometry. Through a Charity Connect connection, Dr. Rubin donates her time to Mercy Health Clinic, a nonprofit providing free high-quality health care, health education, and medications to low-income adult residents in Montgomery County. Dr. Rubin enjoys the opportunity to practice her Spanish language skills and appreciates that Mercy Health provides an interpreter to be sure nothing is lost in translation. Dr. Rubin's ability to screen patients for diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can lead to blindness if not treated, is vital to ensuring their vision health. Being able to use her skills (professional and language) to make an impact in her community and to serve at a time and location that fits into her work and family life, makes this a "right fit" volunteer opportunity for Dr. Rubin.

As Charity Connect founder, Cristin Caine got to know Lois Hall, it was easy for her to see that Lois' warmth, brilliance, and connective communication style would easily translate into mentorship. When Cristin reached out to Future Link to learn more about their volunteer opportunities, whip-smart Executive Director Mindi Jacobson invited Cristin and Lois to their spring graduation. It was clear the tremendous impact Future Link's program has on both their mentees and mentors.

Lois shares her experience with Charity Connect: “I started mentoring a Future Link student about 18 months ago and it’s been the most rewarding experience I’ve had in my retirement. In fact, mentoring my first student has been so rewarding that about six months ago I signed up to mentor a second. I am both inspired and in awe of both of my mentees, who are hard-working, resilient and highly motivated to succeed. At the end of each meeting, they always thank me for supporting them - and I thank them right back for the opportunity. I learn so much about others and myself in the process.”

Transitioning into a new field after a successful 32-year career in marketing for Marriott, Janet was looking for an opportunity to continue to use her project management and communication skills while building capacity for a nonprofit organization. We connected Janet with Community Reach so that she could support a charity in her hometown and one whose mission to provide vital safety net services resonated with her. Project-based skilled volunteering can be time-bound, provide an excellent sense of satisfaction for the volunteer, and create essential elevation for the nonprofit. Janet meets with the Director of Development and Volunteer Service, Andrea Kempner-Wink, to inventory the current marketing strategy and provides resources, connections, timelines, and goals. Blazing new trails starting her own business as a professional organizer while putting her accumulated skills to good use provides a fulfilling balance for Janet.

Our client, Tova, is a psychologist in private practice in Rockville. She is also a beautiful writer. Tova's "right fit" volunteer position is working with children from low income families served by So What Else.

Humbly/ I entered their space/

Walking the fine line between being an authority figure and being a random new volunteer/ They play kickball, basketball or capture the flag. After a few visits I’m invited to join-- Walking the fine line between being an adult and being a kid playing on the playground/ I am taught to let them work it out when cheating is suspected Because part of their job is to learn to work things out-- and part of my job Is to offer honesty over team loyalty/ Because there is a thick line there, And the truth matters/ I love how they look out for each other even as they are teasing each other-- I love feeding them/ Knowing their bellies are full/

At this point I still don’t know their stories beyond this playground-- but I know I plan to stick around/ because they captured the flag /And my heart.

After serving as a marketing and sales operations executive for over 20 years, Tammi took seven years off to stay home with her three daughters. As her oldest daughter headed off to college, she found she had more time and a desire to get back out in the workforce. Charity Connect concluded the skills she offered and sought, as well as her passion to address hunger, would be a good fit for Nourish Now and we advocated for a customized volunteer position. After two months of volunteering, Tammi accepted the position of Director of Development at Nourish Now. Her work with Nourish Now and now Nourishing Bethesda have allowed her to make a huge impact on reducing food insecurity and food waste.

Kmitra moved to Rockville with her son last year. She has a great job with the Veterans Administration that she loves. Wanting to connect more with her community, Kmitra reached out to Charity Connect to learn about local volunteer opportunities. A "Jill of all Trades" Kmitra offers a diverse set of skills as well as a plethora of passions. She is a great example of how volunteering can be integrated into your life even when you are working full time, pursuing your PhD, and raising a child! Kmitra has been happily volunteering at four (!) local nonprofits:

• Facilitating virtual interview technique discussions with the job seekers served by SEEC
• Career coaching with Future Link
• Assisting with patient services with Mobile Med
• Prepping donated bikes for shipping alongside her son at Bikes for the World

Magda Halim's volunteering is a great example of "double goal" service. We first met Magda at our Strategic Volunteering workshop with FlexProfessionals in Virginia. We were thrilled to work with her and channel her enthusiasm and positive energy into a great cause! As a community coach for Girls On The Run (GOTR), Magda worked with other coaches to facilitate a life skills and physical fitness curriculum for 3rd-5th graders. During this time she also worked towards her own goal to run a 5k alongside her GOTR girls!

Jelina’s clinical pharmacist background and holistic mindset are integral to her coaching her clients in managing their Type 2 Diabetes. Her volunteering with the Boys And Girls Club allows her to utilize her yoga certification and passion for mindfulness to teach young people healthful ways to nourish their mind and bodies.

Charity Connect has established a long term partnership between TTR Sotheby's International Realty dynamic duo Adam Isaacson and Eris Norman and the nonprofit So What Else. Eris and Adam participate in quarterly projects benefiting the families served by So What Else including diaper drives, clothing collections, and their personal volunteering. They received the Sotheby’s Community Leadership award for all their charitable work with So What Else.

After three years at home, Dominique wanted to get back to work and find an organization she could feel passionate about. She also wanted to gain experience in the nonprofit sector and make sure it was the right fit for her skills. Volunteering with KEEN, a non-profit organizing fitness activities for kids and young adults with disabilities, helped Dominique gain visibility as a possible candidate for a development position. She got the job and now her career and service passions are one!

Matt Schwartz, partner at a top DC legal recruiting firm Garrison and Sisson, is passionate about personal finance. He feels like we all leave money on the table due to a lack of knowledge and/or discipline. With warmth and humor, Matt facilitates personal finance discussions with the teen scholar parents of Generation Hope. He has been blown away by the number of responsibilities the scholars are balancing and is so pleased to be able to provide some insight into savings, managing spending, and handling debt.

Carolyn started volunteering with Great and Small last November. After missing several months due to COVID, she has been so happy to be back with the horses and helping with lessons. Great and Small provides horse therapy for individuals with physical and intellectual differences. Carolyn knew she wanted to be outside and active while volunteering. She also enjoys working with young people. Carolyn has discovered a new passion through her service with equine therapy.

Katie moved to the area and got a job in real estate. Volunteering with Nourish Now helped her get to know people in her community and fulfill a personal goal to practice her Spanish. Katie wanted to be able to help her neighbors who were experiencing food insecurity but wasn’t sure she could fit volunteering into her busy schedule. Volunteering during a recurring shift that fit into her schuele and at a location near her home as well as seeing how it could help her personally and professionally enabled her to make service part of her routine.

Passionate about inclusion, Sophia has volunteered with organizations such as  Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN) and  Extra Special People (ESP).serving individuals with intellectual differences for over seven years. Through her volunteering, she gained leadership experience, event planning skills, and most importantly a new best friend, Dale.  

To read more about Sophia’s friendship with Dale, you can visit his mother’s blog, the Daley Times.

Skye loves to cook and Tori is happy to be her sous chef. For the past six months, they have been donating two dinners and one lunch per month to Stepping Stones Shelter. Skye comes up with the menu, Tori gets the shopping done, and then they cook together. Stepping Stones feeds about 25 people, so the quantity is manageable. They make an extra portion for their dinner so they can taste test and see what they want to make again. They both also like that the shelter is close by, so it feels more personal and rewarding. During quarantine, they needed ways to pass the time and distract them. Making lasagna noodles from scratch was a first for them. By cooking meals for families at Stepping Stones Shelter, they get to spend time together and have fun cooking!